In passing the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, Congress made sweeping changes in public assistance programs. Congress also placed restrictions on the benefit eligibility of migrants, distinguishing between \"nonqualified\" and \"qualified\" aliens. Public benefits, including food stamps and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), for both of these groups were curtailed. Follow-up legislation sought to provide exceptions to the 1996 law so that humanitarian assistance could be provided

While the 1996 Welfare Reform Act identifies aliens who are not eligible to receive certain types of public assistance, it does not identify which benefits are available to all aliens. Moore summarizes the current state of the law as it applies in North Carolina. Also listed are federal, state, and local benefits for which immigrants are eligible.

The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, which cut diagonally through North Carolina's Piedmont, was the primary southbound route for English, Scotch-Irish, and Germanic immigrants who began arriving in Pennsylvania in the 1720s. By 1760, it had become the most heavily traveled road in America, fostering the establishment of new towns throughout the south, including Salisbury, Charlotte, and the Moravian settlements of Bethania and Salem in North Carolina. Revolutionary War battles fought along the Wagon Road include Camden, Cowpens, King's Mountain, and Guilford Courthouse.

Governor Pat McCrory and Secretary of Transportation Tony Tata have proposed distinguishing immigrants without full citizenship be issued pink drivers licenses. Individuals affected are largely protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act who were born in the country and working toward citizenship. State republicans and democrats are split on the issue, with Republicans supporting licenses emblazoned in pink and stating \"no lawful status\" while Democrats argue this will lead to discrimination.

Charlotte is joining the likes of Atlanta, Denver, and Austin as the desired destinations for twenty-first century immigrants. Unlike the prior generations of Latino immigrants who primarily came from Mexico to work as laborers, this generation aims to become entrepreneurs.

The Hmong people are a minority ethnic group in Lao and many left the country after the Vietnam War for fear of retaliation. This article examines Hmong families living in North Carolina and the types of jobs they seek.

The stories of two siblings from Colombia and their experiences as undocumented immigrants are contrasted. One sibling has obtained legal residency while the other is still undocumented. Some difficulties for undocumented residents in North Carolina include being unable to get a driver’s license, being unable to afford out-of-state tuition for college, struggling to find a well-paying and safe job, and the fear of being deported. Nearly 270,000 North Carolina residents are undocumented and the number is growing each year.

In 1883, the poet Emma Lazarus imagined the Statue of Liberty as the lamp beside the golden door, an expression of how America imagined itself. But the nation’s relationship with immigrants has never been that simple, and is an even more complicated issue today. With the new presidency, Latin American immigrants in North Carolina question their future.

Cecilia Polanco runs the So Good Pupusas food truck in Durham, catering pupusas and other Salvadoran dishes. Earlier this year, Polanco began a scholarship program to help undocumented immigrants pay for school tuition. She also hopes to use her business to create a mechanism for community members to sell their food out of the truck and make a living.

Local artist uses painting to advocate for the children of immigrants. Rosalia Torres-Weiner works with children that are too scared of deportation to speak or too confused to vocalize their feelings, and helps give them a voice though art projects.